Helmets and other forms of protective headgear have become increasingly popular in recent years as users have become more aware and concerned about preventing head injuries while participating in individual and team sporting events. Numerous forms of special helmets have been developed for wear in a wide range of indoor and outdoor sporting activities.
While the helmets developed for some activities are compact and intended to protect the more vulnerable areas of the head and neck, others cover a more substantial portion of a user's head. For example, helmets for motorcyclists tend to be expansive and cover not only the head, but often comprise a faceshield to protect the wearer from debris and flying objects that may be encountered at driving speeds. Because these helmets cover substantially the entire head and neck of the wearer, the interiors of these helmets tend to become uncomfortably warm, especially in warm weather. This often leads to fogging of the faceshield as condensation builds inside the helmet. To combat this problem, vents have been incorporated into some helmet constructions to intake, circulate, and discharge air. This, of course, is possible since forced ventilation is ensured by the velocity of incoming air due to the speed of driving. As such, these vents often are located on the front facial portions of the helmets. Although such a configuration is somewhat effective in ventilating the facial area, it does not provide ventilation to the crown of the wearer's head.
In sports such as snowboarding and skiing, ventilation measures for the head heretofore have not been highly effective. One known helmet construction incorporates small apertures around the headband region for some air exchange and evaporation of perspiration, but lacks any effective ventilation provision for the top of the head. As is well known, the top, or crown, of the head is where the average person radiates the greatest amount of body heat.
What is needed is a helmet for outdoor sports such as snowboarding and skiing that provides an effective ventilation construction and that allows a wearer to maximize, limit, or eliminate air flow to the top of the head. Further, a helmet construction is desired that will allow a user to regulate easily the degree of ventilation for the range of anticipated conditions; e.g., restricting or eliminating ventilation in extremely cold weather or when snow or rain are likely to get into the top of the helmet, or maximizing ventilation in warmer weather.